Arriving at the Summit, the Greek Prime Minister stressed that Athens is on the side of the Western Balkans and that he understands their relative distrust, as the progress that has been made is practically minimal.
To be given specific time milestone for its completion process of accession of the Western Balkans to the EU in 2033, suggested o Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis He stressed that Greece is on the side of the Western Balkans and that understands their relative distrustas the progress made is practically minimal.
“It is an opportunity to restart this process with even greater intensity. “A prerequisite for this to happen is that the dispute between Sofia and Skopje be finally resolved, so that the negotiations between Northern Macedonia and Albania on their accession process can officially begin.”stressed Mr. Mitsotakis.
The entire statement of the Prime Minister
Exactly 19 years ago, at the Thessaloniki Summit, the way was opened for the entry of the Western Balkans into the European family. Unfortunately, since then, the progress that has been made, in practice, is minimal. And I fully understand why in the countries of the Western Balkans there is a relative skepticism about the European Union’s intentions to really include the countries of the Western Balkans in the European family.
It is an opportunity to restart this process with even greater intensity. A prerequisite for this to happen is for the dispute between Sofia and Skopje to be finally resolved, so that negotiations between Northern Macedonia and Albania on their accession process can officially begin.
Greece stands on the side of the Western Balkans, as the largest economy in the region, as a country that has reaped the benefits of joining the European family. It will support the Western Balkans in their quest to become members of the European Union. We know that for these countries, the process is difficult. There are specific conditions that must be met and this is something that the countries of the Western Balkans need to know.
However, my view is that it is very important to give a specific milestone in order for this process to be completed. My suggestion to the European Council is for this milestone to be in 2033, thirty years after the Thessaloniki Summit, so that the Western Balkans and their citizens know that at the end of this long process they can really look forward to it. members of the European family. Greece will stand by these countries, in this difficult endeavor, in this long journey they are already on.
Check out the news feed and stay up to date with the latest news.
